Major disruption to Outer Harbor and Gawler train lines as work starts on Park Tce underpass

UPDATED: THE major works to build a rail underpass at Park Terrace, Bowden, will begin within weeks, causing huge disruption to several rail lines — including the closure of the Outer Harbor service for two months.

THE major works to build a rail underpass at Park Terrace, Bowden, at a cost of $238 million, will begin within weeks causing huge disruption on several rail lines until December.

The Gawler train service will be closed for two weeks from October 1 to 15 over the school holidays but the Outer Harbor line will be closed from 24 September to 3 December.

“It (the Outer Harbor line) is a long closure and it will cause inconvenience to those Outer Harbour passengers, but we will put on bus services and express bus services,’’ Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan said.

Mr Mullighan said road delays would be minimal and when finished the previously announced work would mean a significant benefit for 50,000 vehicles that use the road as part of the city’s inner ring route every day, but must battle 160 daily passenger trains.

Road traffic times are expected to be reduced even during construction from the time the boom gates stop operating within weeks.

.Source:The Advertiser

Mr Mullighan said the trains cause boom gates between Port Road and War Memorial Drive, North Adelaide to be down on average for more than two hours every day.

In the latest stage of the ongoing works to begin, the Outer Harbor train line will be taken under Park Terrace as well as underneath the Gawler line and the freight line.

“It is a big project and a really important one for Adelaide, because it gets rid of one of the busiest road crossings,’’ Mr Mullighan said.

“There will also be a huge benefit for the freight train movements through Adelaide, because freight will no longer have to give way to the passenger trains.’’

Around 11 freight trains a day also travel through the Torrens junction, closing the Torrens Road and Hawker Street level crossings for up to six minutes each time.

Freight trains will also be separated from passenger trains for the first time, further avoiding delays.

Removing the need for freight trains to stop at Torrens junction will also mean they don’t have to slow down or stop through the Torrens Road and Hawker Street level crossings, reducing traffic delays at these locations.

The consortium of Laing O’Rourke, AECOM and Kellogg, Brown & Root had won the alliance contract to separate the interstate freight rail line from the Outer Harbor passenger line and build a rail underpass at Park Terrace.

Some works have been ongoing but the most disruptive construction works will start within weeks.

The project will improve the productivity of the national rail freight network by allowing 20 per cent longer trains than the current configuration between Adelaide and Melbourne.